City Dividends

Small changes can produce big economic outcomes

City Dividends, which was developed by Portland, Ore., economist Joe Cortright, calculates the monetary gains top metros could realize if they increase their college attainment by one percentage point (The Talent Dividend), reduce VMT by 1 mile per person per day (The Green Dividend) and reduce the number of people in poverty (The Opportunity Dividend) by one percentage point.

City Dividends is designed to help urban leaders make the case for public policies that will help raise incomes, encourage citizens to drive less and increase opportunities for bringing people out of poverty. City Dividends establishes a framework for examining the policies, actions and conditions that are needed for cities to actually realize these gains in practice.